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Sunday, December 30, 2012

2013 FANTASY BASEBALL FIRST BASEMAN RANKINGS: A VERY EARLY LOOK

Moving right along in our first extensive look at position rankings for 2013 fantasy baseball, let's delve into the always powerful first baseman. As always you want to double dip here in filling not only your first baseman slot but also your CI or UTIL position. Let's see where thingsd currently stand.

1. Albert Pujols-gets the top spot back after Miguel Cabrera loses eligibility. His days of being the top pick (and top five overall for that matter) are finished for good.
2. Joey Votto-still the best pure hitter in the game in my opinion. 2012 stats were down only because of missed games.
3. Prince Fielder-likely won't touch 40 home runs playing his home games in Comerica but he was still a beast in his first year in the American League.
4. Edwin Encarnacion-wow did this guy elevate himself in one year. Everything about Encarnacion last season was incredible (40 home runs/110 RBI). For good measure he also stole 13 bases. He is legit folks.
5. Billy Butler-the power finally fully arrived with 29 home runs and he is a lock for a .300-plus average. Love him. And remember when I told you to give him one more chance last spring? Yup.
6. Adrian Gonzalez-should be much better now that he is out of Boston since he clearly was distracted. While we don't see his 40-home run Padres days returning, AGONE's discounted price in 2013 looks nice.
7. Anthony Rizzo-no this is not too high a ranking. Love his bat and hit with power and average upon promotion last season. A clone of Billy Butler.
8. Paul Goldschmidt-how about 20 home runs and 18 steals from your first baseman? And there is more power to be had here as Goldschmidt was a power-hitting dynamo in the minors.
9. Mark Texeira-fading and now dealing with injuries every year.
10. David Ortiz-has 1B eligibility in 5-game leagues. Still hitting for power and shockingly for average. Cliff season could come at any time though.
11. Ike Davis-yes the average was brutal in the first half but the power was extremely good. His average was .260 in the months where his BABIP was not unlucky and with the power we will certainly take that.
12. Adam LaRoche-perfect guy for your UTIL or CI slot as he is always undervalued for some reason. This from a guy who hit 32 home runs last season and could end up in Boston. Yes please.
13. Paul Konerko-we will always love the guy but age is finally starting to show. Only 66 runs scored in 2012 and power slipped for third year in a row.
14. Adam Dunn-you really got to swallow hard when picking Dunn knowing the damage he will bring to your batting average (.204). Power is insane however (41 home runs).
15. Mark Trumbo-first half renaissance/second half fade. Chalk him up somewhere in between.
16. Corey Hart-still has outfield eligibility as well. Like with Adam LaRoche, one of the more underrated guys in the game.
17. Freddie Freeman-getting better and better. Still ceiling to be had here. Could reach 30 home runs as soon as this season.
18. Kendrys Morales-went over why we like him so much yesterday.
19. Chris Davis-classic post-hype sleeper made good as Davis hit 33 home runs in 2012 with no one watching.
20. Buster Posey-play him at catcher.
21. Allen Craig-play him in the outfield.
22. Carlos Santana-catcher only.
23. Eric Hosmer-price will crash to the gutter which makes him a good buy. Remember post-hype sleepers are among the best values in the game.
24. Ryan Howard-please. OLD!!!!
25. Pablo Sandoval-strictly best as a third baseman
26. Nick Swisher-outfield guy.
27. Justin Morneau-wow have the mighty fallen by the wayside.